


And Since We've No Place To Go

by Silveny-Dreams (VintageOT5)



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: AU, F/M, Human world AU, and yes i tagged marty who doesnt tag marty the cat, meet cute more like meet stupid amirite ladies, sorry that im abysmally late as usual emily, theres lots of snow and domesticity so, this was for a secret santa gift exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29226966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VintageOT5/pseuds/Silveny-Dreams
Summary: Sophie Foster has never seen snow before, so that's what she spends her day doing. In addition to worrying about the sanity of her upstairs neighbor.Or the most ridiculous meet-stupid ever between the two biggest idiots in KOTLC, except as humans.
Relationships: Sophie Foster/Keefe Sencen
Comments: 6
Kudos: 47





	And Since We've No Place To Go

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Three_Gulons_In_A_Trenchcoat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Three_Gulons_In_A_Trenchcoat/gifts).



> As mentioned in the tags, this piece was for the KOTLC Secret Santa exchange that happened on Tumblr this year...and as we can see from post date, it is, uh. Past the time for Santa. Emily. I'm so sorry I'm like this. Please enjoy these two stupidest people in the whole world falling for each other. No, really. Possible sprains incurred.

It was around 2 in the afternoon when Sophie Foster saw the body fall.

She was sitting in the window seat in her apartment with her cat, Marty, gazing out at the thick flurry of snow blowing down. Truthfully, it was all she’d done all day, watch the snow fall. When the weatherwoman announced the night before that their first snowfall of the year would start at 5 that morning, Sophie had set an alarm and gotten up to see.

It had never snowed back in San Diego.

“Wild state, New York,” Sophie had mumbled as she stood out on the sidewalk at 5:30 that morning, watching snowflakes big as quarters flurry surprisingly silently through the air. Snowstorms were much quieter than she’d expected, and much crunchier underfoot.

She’d camped out with a blanket and book in the window seat the rest of the morning, pausing every now and then to watch the snow come down. She didn’t want to miss much of her very first snow. Neither, apparently, did Marty, who watched out the window with similar fascination. She supposed it was his first snow, too. There was a little Santa-shaped decoration staked in the ground by the bushes outside her window, and Sophie used it as a measuring stick as the day continued on and the snow continued to flurry nonstop.

It was good that by 2, the snowfall had reached the decorative Santa’s nose, or things could have been worse.

She’d just returned to the window seat with a mug of cocoa. It was too hot to drink just yet, so she held the mug close to her chest, warming her hands with it. She sat down next to Marty and gazed out the window again. It would probably get boring eventually, but looking outside had yet to lose its magic, seeing all the big snowflakes swirling in the air.

A clatter and muffled shout from above gave her pause. She looked up at the ceiling, frowning. What were her neighbors doing up there?

She squeaked in surprise, nearly sloshing her hot cocoa all over herself, as a figure fell past her window and into the snowdrift next to the decorative Santa with a  _whump_ .

For a second, Sophie was too shocked to do anything but stare. What...was that?

Wait. Was that...a  _sock_ , peeking out of the snow?

“Oh, oh my god,” she yelped, scrambling off of the window seat and setting her cocoa aside. Someone had just fallen from the second floor.

She hastily shoved her feet into her boots and grabbed her coat, yanking it on haphazardly as she bolted out the door. She burst out the door of the apartment complex, nearly tripping down the steps in her haste. The snowfall was already up to her knees, but Sophie waded through it as quickly as she could.

“Are you okay?” She asked as she neared the person-shaped hole in the snow.

A muffled groan met her ears. As Sophie got closer, she saw the back of a grey hoodie and blue-green plaid pajama pants in the snowdrift, slowly being peppered with new flurries.

“Just leave me here, I’m too stupid to live,” the figure muttered, face down in the snow.

As Sophie crouched next to the figure, she suddenly realized she recognized this neighbor.  _Oh, shoot._ It was a good thing it was cold outside, so there was a good coverup reason for her face to flush red.

Sophie didn’t know his name, but she passed him all the time at the mailboxes and on the way in and out of the building. Just brief eye contact and awkward smiles, nothing more. In all honesty, Sophie had been avoiding introducing herself; he was cute and she was worried she’d be embarrassing and never be able to live it down.

_At least it’s the other way around_ , she thought.  _If he’s not dead, at least_ .

“Are you hurt?” Sophie asked, searching up and down the back of his form for any visible injuries.

He groaned again. “Kinda. Snow isn’t as soft as it looks from the second story.”

Sophie frowned. “Um, can you move? Is anything broken?”

He stirred weakly, and Sophie watched him flex his feet.

“Ah, god,” he hissed and stopped rolling his right ankle.

“Is it really bad?” Sophie winced, watching as he continued to test his limbs.

“It’s, uh, it’s not unbearable?” He said, pulling his arms from beneath him and trying to find traction. “Probably just twisted it or something.”

He swore loudly and toppled face-first back into the snow when he tried to push himself up with his hands. Sophie reached for him, but paused, hands hovering in the air over him. Should she help him? Would that just agitate any injuries and make them worse?

“Left wrist is bad, though,” he gritted out. “ _Ow._ ”

“Here, just…” Sophie trailed off, reaching over him for his right elbow, gently helping him turn over onto his back.

His face was flushed, probably from faceplanting in the snow, and tufts of his blond hair were plastered haphazardly to his head. Sophie bit her lip; _oh, dear_. Even a bit worse for wear, she’d forgotten how cute he was.

“Thank—oh.”

Sophie raised an eyebrow as he stared at her, blinking rapidly. “You good?”

His head cocked to the side, a curious smile playing at his lips. “...Foster?”

Sophie raised her eyebrows. “Um...yeah.”  _How did he know her last name?_

He seemed to sense her confusion, because he shook his head. “Sorry, uh. That’s just what we call you. My roommate and I. ‘Cuz of the label on your mailbox. Not that I know which one is your mailbox. I mean...I mean, I do, but like. On accident. Also your doorbell. I’m going to stop talking now.”

“Did you hit your head, too?” Sophie asked. “Should I take you to the ER?”

“I’m fine, I promise, I’m just dumb,” he mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.

Against Sophie’s better judgment, she felt a smile pricking the corners of her mouth. “Sophie. Foster’s my last name.”

“ _Sophie_ , Sophie,” he mused, as if testing the word out. “Hm. Sophie.”

“Yes,” Sophie said, trying not to laugh.

His eyes were an unreal shade of blue, like a Siberian husky’s. He grinned. “Nice to finally meet you, Sophie Foster.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And have you got a name, Mister Self-Proclaimed-Too-Stupid-To-Live?”

“Oh, I’m Keefe,” he said, grinning at her.

_Keefe._ It suited him.

Sophie waited a couple of moments.

“Keefe…Vacker?” She prompted, taking a guess at the names she'd seen on her neighbors' mailboxes.

He blinked, then looked sheepish. “Oh. No. Keefe Sencen.”

Sophie pursed her lips, thinking. Sencen didn’t sound familiar. “And you live in the unit above mine?”

“Yeah, but it’s under my roommate’s name,” Keefe explained, attempting to sit up. “He’s the Vacker.”

“Ah. Got it.”

Keefe managed to push himself into a seated position with his less-bad arm. “He’s gonna be jealous I met you first. We’ve been trying to figure out how to meet you without looking weird.”

_They wanted to meet me?_ Sophie fought back a smile. “Have you.”

Keefe’s face flushed red. “Uh, yeah. But, uh, that obviously didn’t happen, did it?”

“Maybe not,” Sophie laughed. “But hey, you could be dead right now instead, or, like, hurt way worse, so that’s something, right?”

Boy, his smile was almost too pretty to behold as he stared at her. “Yeah, this is...really something.”

She thanked everything holy it was cold, sparing her an obvious blush.

“We should, um.” Sophie cleared her throat;  _can I_ please  _focus on more important things than whether he’s cute or not?_ “We should get you inside, I think. Unless you want to be snowed on some more.”

Keefe grimaced. “Yeah, I’m good. I’ve had enough snow for today.”

It took some finagling and more body strength than she possessed, but eventually Sophie had Keefe on his feet, his good arm slung over her shoulders for support. They only made it one step before Keefe stumbled, nearly knocking Sophie over.

“Mmm, it’s worse to stand on than it was to move,” he grunted, face contorted in pain.

Sophie got her balance back and gripped his waist firmer. “Lean on me. Let’s at least get inside.”

It was slow, laborious going, hobbling through knee-deep snow, and then up the front steps into the building entryway. Keefe looked pale by the time Sophie helped him inside, despite the chill that should have flushed his cheeks.

“Wish there was an elevator,” he mumbled as Sophie paused to catch her breath.

They both stared at the flight of stairs they needed to soldier up to get to Keefe’s apartment.

It suddenly occurred to Sophie. “Is your apartment even unlocked?”

Keefe was silent for a moment before groaning. “No. It’s still locked, since I wasn’t planning to go out. Fitz has to use his key to get in, even when I’m home.”

Sophie nodded, taking a deep breath. “Well. There’s no use going up there if you can’t even get in, right?”

Keefe looked shamefaced.

“I can call Fitz, but it usually takes him a half hour to walk home from work,” Keefe muttered. “And who knows if he’ll be able to come back right away?”

“Plus there’s, you know, over a foot of snow out there,” Sophie pointed out. “And rising. It’ll be slow going, no matter what.”

Keefe sighed.

Sophie shrugged against his arm. “I mean. You can come hang out at my place until he gets back, if you want. You can use my phone to call him, too.”

“Oh.”

Keefe looked a little abashed when Sophie glanced at him.

“I can’t just…” he cleared his throat. “I mean, you were probably busy, I can’t just intrude on your—”

“On my snow-gazing?” Sophie replied wryly, grinning. “C’mon, I’m not just leaving you out here while you’re hurt. Your ankle and your arm probably need ice, anyway.”

Keefe stammered a few more feeble protests before giving up, letting Sophie guide him through her front door.

Sophie saw Marty still sitting in the window seat as she brought Keefe inside. He watched curiously as Sophie toed off her boots and guided Keefe over to the living room, helping him take a seat on the couch.

“Here, get those socks off," Sophie instructed, grappling under the coffee table and pulling out a mini space heater. "You can lay them over this and borrow a pair of mine for now."

Keefe looked hesitant, but obeyed, wincing a little as he bent over himself to pull the socks off. "Um, no offense, but...are our feet similar enough size?"

Hmm, he had a point. "Probably not. But if I get some of my bigger slipper socks, maybe."

"You really don't have to," Keefe protested, but she was already halfway down the hall to her bedroom.

"So," Sophie began as she handed over her largest pair of fuzzy blue slipper socks, "how exactly did you fall, Keefe Sencen?"

"Oh, uh. Well."

Sophie's curiosity piqued at the way Keefe looked like he wanted to melt into the couch. He laid his socks over the space heater, avoiding her gaze, and Sophie got up and switched the heater on, turning the dial until it puttered to life.

"It was really dumb of me," Keefe muttered, sighing as he fiddled with the slipper socks. "But the snow reminded me that it's almost Christmas, and that Fitz and I have been meaning to put up a strand of Christmas lights along the top of our balcony. So I thought I'd try to get them up myself."

Sophie frowned. "On the railing, or?"

Keefe shook his head, wriggling one of the socks on. "No, up along the gutter. The last people put up little hooks already, so I figured it would take, like, five minutes for me to hang them up. That's why I didn't put on shoes or a coat or anything."

"You're supposed to have someone to hold your ladder while you're on it," Sophie said, wandering to the kitchen to get some ice packs from the freezer. "So that it won't tip over and you won't fall."

There was a long silence as Sophie moved things around in the freezer to grab the ice packs.

"See, um. That's the stupid thing, actually. I...wasn't using a ladder?"

Sophie coughed in surprise and whirled around, ice packs in hand. "Tell me you weren't standing on a deck chair or something."

Keefe's face was on fire. "I wasn't. It, um, was worse than that. I, uh...I got up on the balcony railing."

Sophie gaped at him.

Keefe squeezed his eyes shut, looking thoroughly embarrassed.  "I know, I know! It was really stupid. I brushed the snow off before getting up there, but it was still slippery."

"You were trying to balance on the railing, in sock feet, in the _middle of a snowstorm?_ " Sophie couldn't make sense of it.

She watched him wince as she laid an ice pack over his arm. She sat down on the floor next to his feet and wrapped the longer ice pack around his hurt ankle.

"Told you I was too stupid to live," Keefe mumbled, adjusting the ice pack on his arm to curve around his wrist.

Sophie shook her head slowly. _The balcony railing. Oh my god._ "You...might be right."

"Fitz'll have my head when he gets back," Keefe muttered, reminding Sophie to pull out her phone.

"Here." She handed her phone over with the phone app open to the keypad. "Do you know his number?"

Keefe nodded, thanking her as he took the phone. "After all the dumb stuff I've done, I've had to keep it memorized."

Sophie felt the corner of her mouth twitch. "So this isn't the first stupid thing you've done, then."

"At least make it sound like a question," Keefe laughed, typing in Fitz's number and holding the phone to his ear. "But, uh, yeah. Fitz is the real MVP, always getting me out of trouble. Dunno why he puts up with me sometimes, to be honest."

"You must be a pretty good friend," Sophie mused, and Keefe's ears tinged pink.

It was, perhaps, a more eventful first snow than Sophie had expected. But that was okay, she thought, if it meant she finally got to meet her neighbor. And from the way he winked at her when he told Fitz, "yeah, I'm actually at Foster's apartment right now, so maybe it was actually _good_ luck, Did you know her name is Sophie?" over the phone, Sophie wondered whether Keefe was okay with it, too.

**Author's Note:**

> This was based on a prompt, actually, that went "I live below you and I was minding my own business watching the heavy snowfall out the window whEN I SAW A BODY FALL ARE YOU REALLY PUTTING CHRISTMAS LIGHTS UP NOW". I'm not entirely satisfied with the ending, but I hope it was a fun enough read! Comment and let me know thy thoughts.
> 
> I'm always lurking on Tumblr even if I don't post as much, so feel free to stop by over at @silveny-dreams if you're interested in me and other stuff I've written! Much love. x


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